Russia does not see any chance of extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has facilitated the safe export of Ukrainian grain, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Saturday.

No Chance of Extension, Says Kremlin Spokesperson

“It’s hardly possible to predict any final decision here, but I can say that judging de facto by the status quo that we have, this deal has no chance,” Peskov told the Russian news outlet Izvestia in footage posted on its Telegram channel.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin told African leaders that exports of Ukrainian grain under a deal ensuring its safe passage through the Black Sea is not helping to resolve Africa’s problems with high global food prices as only 3% have gone to the poorest countries.

Putin Blames West for Food Crisis

Putin said the food crisis had been caused by the actions of Western countries, not by what Russia calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

The leaders from South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Uganda, Congo Republic and the Comoro islands were meeting Putin at the government’s 18th-century Konstantinovsky Palace, hoping to mediate the conflict with Ukraine after visiting Kyiv on Friday.

Russia agreed last month to a two-month extension of the deal but has said the initiative will cease unless an agreement to overcome obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports is fulfilled.

Background of the Black Sea Grain Initiative

The U.N. and Türkiye brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative between Moscow and Kyiv last July to help tackle a global food crisis aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a leading global grain exporter.